(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to mixing-grade, quick-setting cationic aqueous bituminous emulsion-aggregate paving slurry seal mixtures More particularly, this invention relates to said paving slurry seal mixtures formed with cationic emulsions prepared by emulsifying bitumen, such as an asphalt, in water with a cation-active emulsifier which is the product of the reaction of polyamines with certain polycarboxylic acids and containing accelerators to shorten the curing time at below 75.degree. F. The accelerators are modified nitrogen-containing tall oil fatty acids.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, emulsion slurry seals are formulated from (1) mineral aggregate which is a fine stone aggregate and/or mineral filler and (2) about 15% to about 25% by weight thereof of a mixing-grade, slow-setting emulsion containing from about 50% to about 75% by weight of bituminous residue (usually asphalt), with a further addition of about 5% to about 25% of water, based on the weight of the dry aggregate, to attain slurry consistency. Usually, densely-graded aggregates, such as granite screenings, limestone screenings, dolomite screenings and blast furnace slag, are combined with bituminous emulsions to produce slurry seal compositions. These aggregates range in size from anything passing all through a sieve of No. 4, and even No. 10 mesh, with from 15% to 20% passing through as fine a mesh as 200 mesh, as described in ASTM C136.
The advent of slurry seal as a paving and road maintenance technique was first developed for use with anionic aqueous bituminous emulsions. A slurry seal is an intimate mixture of emulsified bituminous material and fine-grained aggregate held in suitable suspension until applied to the road surface. The slurry seal emulsion must be of an oil-in-water type. In such a mixture with aggregate, the aqueous emulsion form of the bituminous material has been generally preferred because it is less hazardous and more economical to use than hot mix or cutback (solvent containing) asphalts. Further, the aqueous emulsion form can be stored, transported and applied at much lower temperatures, obviating the necessity of heating equipment to maintain a bitumen-aggregate system in a workable or usable form. While these advances have been recognized, widespread acceptance has not been achieved due to disadvantages found in previous aqueous bituminous emulsions.
More recently, cationic bituminous emulsions have come into use and eliminate many of the disadvantages of the anionic emulsions. Bituminous emulsions formulated using cationic emulsifiers do not "break" in the same manner as anionic emulsions, but rather the bituminous material is deposited from the emulsion due to the attraction of polar charges between the bituminous droplets and negatively charged aggregate surfaces. Thus, cationic bituminous emulsions deposit more rapidly than the anionic bituminous emulsions on aggregate surfaces and are bonded to the aggregate by the electrostatic action at the interface of the bitumen and the aggregate material.
The aqueous cationic bituminous emulsions themselves are relatively stable, and the emulsion stability may be enhanced by various additives well known in the art. Most cationic bituminous emulsions, however, deposit on the surface of aggregate materials rapidly when aggregate is contacted with the emulsions. Bitumen from an aqueous cationic bituminous emulsion is deposited from the emulsion due to the charge attraction between the bituminous droplets and the aggregate materials. The rapid setting action of cationic bituminous emulsions is of considerable advantage in road building, such as seal coats, since the roads can be opened to traffic shortly after application of the coating. Although the rate of asphalt deposition, for example, from the emulsion can be controlled to some extent, the time required for complete deposition is never very long and it is therefore the practice to combine the cationic emulsion with the aggregate at the site of road construction, either on the surface of the road itself, or in a mobile mixer which permits the emulsion aggregate mix to be rapidly spread. Due to the charge attraction mechanism, the rapidity of deposition of bituminous materials from the cationic emulsion is closely related to the generally negatively charged surface area of the aggregate or filler material. Thus, while a specific cationic bituminous emulsion might provide suitable properties for use in conjunction with some aggregates, the same cationic emulsion may not exhibit suitable properties when used with very finely ground materials having vastly larger total surface area. The rapid deposition characteristics of the cationic bituminous emulsions frequently makes it impossible to use such emulsions with fine-grained aggregate in slurry form such as in gun application or spreader box application. Therefore, since the slurry seal should mix well, pump well, lay down well, not stiffen while being applied, and, after setting, wear well under traffic, it is particularly desirable to be able to control the setting time of the slurry for various aggregates employed.
Acidified reaction products of the above described polycarboxylic acids, anhydrides, sulfonated fatty acids and epoxidized glycerides with certain polyamines are suitable emulsifiers yielding asphalt emulsions which can be mixed with fine grained aggregate to give workable aggregate/emulsion mixes.
These emulsifiers generally are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,447,269 to Schreuders, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,450,011 to Schilling, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,547,224 to Schilling, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,462,890 to Schilling, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,464,286 to Schilling; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,799 to Schilling.
However, the mixing performance is in many cases dependent on the source and type of the aggregate and asphalt used for emulsification. Also, climatic conditions play a major role in slurry seal application. Hot weather makes it more difficult to mix, and slurry seal will cure much faster to gain the necessary strength for rolling traffic. Low temperatures provide good mixing conditions, but the times required for slurry curing are longer than desired. Optimum formulations of slurry seal mixes provide mixing times long enough to ensure uniform mixes and, after placement on the road surface, cure fast enough to allow for quick re-opening to rolling traffic.
Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide novel types of curing accelerators which in the presence of inorganic fillers, such as Portland cement, will reduce the time of the slurry to gain cohesive strength rapidly.
A further object of this invention is to provide a novel mixture of aggregate and bituminous emulsion.
A further object is to provide a mixture of the above character which is workable under a broad range of conditions.
Another object is to provide a mixture of cationic bituminous emulsion and aggregate whose setting time can be varied.
A particular object is to provide an aqueous bituminous emulsion fine-grained aggregate slurry mixture which deposits at a fairly rapid rate after being applied to the surface to be treated, and is usable for a longer period of time to enable application in slurry form.